


Exit Strategy

by ThreadSketchier



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Empathy, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Parallels, death by battle buddy, sometimes being a Jedi means being a morbid friend instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-05 23:26:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12199527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThreadSketchier/pseuds/ThreadSketchier
Summary: Another Zahn scene re-write, fromThe Last Command.  Luke and Mara bond over embracing death rather than the darkness or a loss of autonomy.





	Exit Strategy

_ “I want you to promise me something,” she said in a low voice.  “Whatever it costs, don’t let me go over to C’baoth’s side.  You understand?  Don’t let me join him.  Even if you have to kill me.” _

Mara’s fingers gripped his hand like iron; Luke felt them wrapped around his gut as well.  “C’baoth can’t force you to join him,” he replied quietly, but as the words slipped out he realized how rote they sounded, as if another man spoke them out of his mouth.

He’d walked into the Emperor’s throne room with as much confidence as he could muster, spine straight, chin high and faith burning, and within minutes he’d been crumbling.  His reactions had been his own choices, but how quickly and easily Palpatine and Vader had played him, until his father lay at the end of his blade.

“He had you under his spell well enough on Jomark,” Mara snapped, dropping his hand with a disdainful shove.

Luke’s knee-jerk response almost was,  _ That wasn’t the same thing _ , but having fallen for the deception and physical influence was just as damning.  He let the wince of chagrin across his face answer for him.  Mara pressed on insistently, “Are you  _ really _ sure of that?”

“No,” he conceded, giving her the response she deserved.

“Do you see what I’m trying to tell you?”  Behind the fury in her eyes smoldered a profound fear and humiliation.  She was  _ begging _ him, desperation outweighing her pride.  “If he did that to you, what chance do I have?”

Luke raised his head, his gaze holding her taut features.  “You’ve resisted the Emperor’s command this long.”  Her brows pinched in confusion.  “I’m still alive,” he continued.  “You’re stronger than you know, Mara.”

Her eyes widened a fraction before she looked away, a fleeting glimpse of vulnerability escaping through her armor.  Luke reached out to take her hand again gently, thumb stroking across her knuckles in reassurance.  He felt her shiver and thought for a moment that his gesture was misplaced, but she didn’t pull away.

“I don’t want to take the risk,” she replied, her voice hard but ragged.  “I’m not going to serve him, Skywalker.  I want you to promise that you’ll kill me before you let him do that to me.”

Denial vaulted into his throat, and Luke was startled to find that he not only opposed the notion out of Jedi morality, but for the mere fact that it was  _ her _ .  He couldn’t bring himself to think of ending  _ her _ life, of such a compelling soul being stricken from existence.

But deep within he understood.  He’d grown up knowing the stories of slaves without hope, who chose to find their freedom in walking away in their masters’ sight to trigger their detonators.  The ground beneath him seemed to sway as he remembered the gantry under his feet and the shadow beckoning from the narrow walkway, the wind biting at his torn flesh and howling betrayal, yet singing with deliverance.

There was always another way.

“I hope it won’t come to that,” Luke whispered, and Mara’s glare withered in disgust, taking it for cowardice.  She twisted her hand to break his grasp, but he caught her wrist and held fast.  “But I promise,” he said solemnly.  “You have my word.”

She stared back in skeptical surprise, obviously not quite expecting him to make good on her request.  “And don’t forget,” he added, “Whatever happens, you won’t be alone.  I’ll be there to face him with you, to the end.”

Her eyes flickered across his face, searching and slowly accepting his words.  From the forest came a sound of footsteps.  With a small but firm nod, she slipped away from him, and Luke let her go.


End file.
